Inception
by creepstakes
Summary: Good partners don't just fall from the sky, you know? YoukoKuramaxKuronue.
1. Chapter 1

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted anything here.

I'm flying by the seat of my pants here in regards to length for this one guys. I didn't plan this to be a multiple chaptered thing but it looks like its going to be at least three or four chapters long (possibly more) instead of one.

Over on LiveJournal I'm writing a vague series of oneshots following the life and times of Youko and Kuronue, they fall under the title of 'Before Time' which is a verse which can be considered slightly AU, but I try to keep it canon as possible. This is the third fic in the BT-verse, which details how Youko Kurama and Kuronue first met and began to work together and evolve into who they are in my other oneshots. The two fic before this are my breif enterpretations of each of their pasts, but this fic should be able to stand alone quite easily.

Please enjoy.

--

**Inception**

"_It is rare to find a business partner who is selfless. If you are lucky it happens once in a lifetime."_

-Michael Eisner

--

Flipping onto his side and sliding down from one branch to the next with the ease of a tree-born animal Youko seated himself in the arms of one of the oldest trees in his favorite forest. He laid his tail beside him on the thick branch and pulled a seed from the scruff of his neck, he also spent a distracted moment running his hands through his slightly tangled hair in lieu of combing it properly, he rolled the seed between forefinger and thumb, leaking his energy into it slowly and carefully.

It wasn't a hot day really, but it was muggy enough to the point of making a task out of breathing. There was no wind whatsoever and the storm clouds above hovered and threw empty promises in the form of long, loud thunder claps. While all storm, wind and water associated demons were having field day, for a simple ground dweller like Youko Kurama it meant it was a day to organize. This was so because he hated being unbearably hot more than he hated being sodden wet (it was hell to try and keep the whole length of his hair untangled and tame when damp, he disliked his ears being wet--therefore cold--even more, and don't ever ask him about his tail) and it irritated him to the point where clear thinking was nigh impossible. When he was irritated he was tempted to make rash actions and being tempted alone was dangerous for his safety.

It was not a day to be running or scheming or doing anything expect finding water and living in it until the thick heat of the air dissipated, if only a little. Youko would do that a little later though, perhaps, he knew when to play and when to prepare and visit his faithful guards. Their loyalty was what kept him alive and it was not something that he took for granted.

Satisfied with his hair, for now, Youko brought the seed to his lips and placed it on his tongue after muttering a few words in the old youko language. He chewed until his jaw hurt and forced himself not to swallow the pulp of the seed, instead he pulled a rather delicate looking once perfume bottle from his sash and cupped one of his hands to hold the oddly pink coloured fluid he poured from the bottle in his hand, and then spat the contents of his mouth into his cupped hand and clenched his fist quickly. He watched as the pink fluid ran down his arm to his elbow, counting to ten, and then opened his fist and let the rather large amount of now green water pour from his hand, careful to make sure it drizzled down the trunk of the tree he'd perched himself in.

The tree itself seemed to take a large breath and swayed thankfully, despite the lack of breeze, and its roots crawled up to the surface to meet the steady stream as it traveled down its base. The green fluid held proteins and other chemicals that helped the trees with photosynthesis, the lack of sun didn't really deter them, but Youko liked to keep in their good books anyway. Feeding them some artificial health was the best he could do to appease their ever thirsting hunger for water they had to fight to obtain among all of the other stronger, unnatural plants they kept company with. This wasn't their terrain really, Youko had transplanted most of them for his own purpose and they had trouble coping at times, though it never seemed like they did on the outside.

Youko leant closer to the trunk and rested his forehead against it. He clenched his fist and then shook it to cut of the flow of water once three or four gallons had passed. The green of the water on his hand seemed to sink into his skin after a few moments and then returned to normal. He rested his hands in his lap and closed his eyes, listening to the dead quiet of the forest and the utter lack of critters and demons. Only stifling heat that made him squirm and yearn for a nice dry, cool day.

The rain couldn't come soon enough.

A panicked cry split through his skull suddenly coming from one of the younger, in relative terms, root systems _far_ too close to Youko's general vicinity for comfort. When flora talked it was something like titers and rustles, but this was a screech and howl from one single flower that spread across a wide network and turned into a cacophony of screaming that could basically be translated to 'get out' and 'you don't belong'. It was more of an urge than words, a compulsion, but then there was the layers and layers of panicked shrill cries that crawled along his skin and teeth this teeth on edge.

Youko was moving before he knew it. He could feel the rapidly growing panic and odd screams from severed stems when the demon invader began to cut itself free when the trees sought to protect themselves and Youko. He sent a surge of Yoki to aid them, feeling rage boil in his chest.

Who the hell would dare to enter his territory and cut down his harmless, well mostly, flowers?

-

He didn't want to open his eyes.

The world consisted of splinters digging under his skin, rivets of blood and flashes from the past of wards blocking him from escape, crackling with effort. The wall that kept him on display and the others safe. For a second he was confused, where was he?

He took a deep breath, automatically checking for damage. His lungs and ribs were working perfectly, though one of his wings was either fractured or wonderfully bruised. Pain spiked through him, up his left wing and down into both of his arms.

In the darkness of near consciousness something hissed at him and moved against his side. There was a vague impression of long hair sliding over his right arm, and the sting of claws on his shoulder, but when he finally forced his heavy eyelids to open there was nothing.

Something tittered in the wind, it felt like the high trees that towered over him were laughing as he lay broken and confused, against the dead trunk he had been thrown against with enough force to knock him out. The humidity of the day did little to ease his confused anguish.

Long black claws caressed the side of his face, sliding over his cheekbone towards a long tapered ear.

Instinct forced him to try and move, he managed a groan that got caught in his throat as the pain in his limbs ceased to become a scream and instead berated him with paralysing roars. He fell back against the trunk squeezing his eyes closed in pain and clenching his teeth.

"Who are you?" This was not the one he had come to steal from, no, this was another unaccounted for foe. Had someone lied to him? He'd been told Youko Kurama worked and lived a lone. Years of planning were ruined. He felt cheated and betrayed.

Was this how the shameful end came?

The titters came again, laughter that sounded like the odd rhythmic tapping and scrape of branches. There was no breeze that could have caused the trees to move so to make the sound.

Something inside him, in his head, loud and angry, hissed wordlessly. Loud enough for him to have thought that it had come from outside his skull, and when he tried to lift his hand to his head on impulse he was screaming in pain again and his hand wouldn't obey him.

He slumped against the dead wood, head falling the side and the brim on the hat he wore covered what could still be seen of his face. Unconscious.

The trees kept laughing at him even after, until the black claws slipped from his face at the sounds of the approaching youko. The creature fled.

-

Youko had a giddy feeling in his chest. His rage had disappeared in a flash, like someone had reached in and tugged at his aesthetic string (the one directly connected to his cock, may I add) which resulted in his suddenly light-hearted and playful.

He lay like a discarded doll. Slumped against a dead tree. Youko had been skirting around the issue of what to do with that tree for centuries and so he felt a small twinge of regret to see it caught up in this destruction.

Some sort of avian demon, he mused. He looked rather eccentric; his attire, though seemingly hastily put together, was done with taste and a sense of pride. Most demons preferred the bare minimum in clothing that would not obstruct ability to cause carnage; they cared not for self image unless they were businessmen or women. This one had respect for itself even as an outlaw like he.

Youko licked his upper lip and stared down at him. He narrowed his piercing eyes slightly.

The demon below him breathed steadily, his chest rising and falling slowly, neck bared as his head was tilted at an uncomfortable angle. He couldn't see his face due to the brim of the hat—or at least it had once been a hat--however he could see the line of his jaw beneath the hair of the sable mane held back from his face with blue thread. The impact of the tree and the branch with had thrown him must have been quite high in velocity, one of the large leathery wings that arched out from his back was bent oddly, and so were both of his arms. Dislocated he'd assume, from the way they hung and twisted.

Youko smirked and crouched down into a squat before him, his hands resting on the demon's leather boots. His tail glided back and forth slowly giving voice to his playfulness. His ears perked, listening carefully and senses alert. It wouldn't do well to be attacked by a passing or accompanying demon at this particular moment, and he was wary of it because it was often the way he operated.

"Did you fall from the sky, little demon? Or were you here for something else…" he purred, pointedly sliding his eyes down the demons crumbled form, taking in the bared skin of his sternum and belly.

Youko had not expected this demon. When his plants had sensed the dark yoki so similar but different to Youko's own and had acted of their own accord, desperate to keep their master safe, he'd been sure that it would have been one of lesser breeding. Everyone knew of his territory and its boundaries, they were wary of it, few got past his traps he laid. But how had this one gotten so close to his hidden treasures without prior warning from any of his other defenses?

Here in this section he kept only his most sacred and rare plants. Which of his plants had yanked him from the sky and flung him against the old dead husk of the once magnificent tree and riddled this body with such odd disproportionate wounds? His spine should have shattered and his brain should have been turned to slush. Yet he suffered only two dislocated arms and an injured wing. He'd been handled with care and delicacy.

He leant forward and placed his hand either side of the dark demon, crawling up the unconscious form and trailing his eyes up his body as he did. It was a nice body, a little thin but the muscles in those awkwardly placed arms spoke of the strength this one was capable of.

White fingers slid under the demon's chin as he straddled his waist and pulled his head up to see what was kept hidden behind the tattered remains of the hat that shielded him from prying eyes.

Something inside Youko shifted and let out a predatory growl. This creature he held was limp and dead looking. He was so very helpless in Youko's hands. But what a pretty thing indeed, this man would have made quite a lot of money if he'd chosen the path of pleasure instead of whatever idiotic career plans had landed him in Youko's clawed hands.

If Youko had seen him at a brothel, he would have taken him. But this wasn't a brothel and he'd quiet literally fallen from the sky and landed before Youko, a present from above.

Dark hair framed the almost sinister face. He had what could be defined as sharp features were slack and empty in sleep. Long dark eyelashes rested against pale cheeks and the slightly parted lips showed the small fangs hidden inside that mouth.

Youko let his fingers unwind from the sides of his face and he fell back to the destroyed trunk of the tree with a thud. Youko tilted his head, expecting him to wake, but he slept on unaware of Youko's existence. His tail flicked in an amused manner and he pushed himself up to stand and step to the side of his catch.

A soft breath of air swirled through the trees, and turned cooled Youko's heated flesh. It was a moment of sweet reprieve from the odd humidity. He pulled his hair from his neck and let the breeze caress and cool him as he stared at this visitor of his with slight interest.

Hmm. What to do with the beautiful body… He couldn't kill it yet. He was curious by nature and he wanted to know how he'd gotten so far, he also wanted to know why his intentions had been.

He wanted to torment him and play a little.

-

He woke suddenly and violently.

His eyes snapped open and then closed again as the freezing water shocked his system into waking. He groaned and rolled onto his stomach, tucking his head under his arm, shielding himself from the cold that suddenly invaded his skin and reached for his core. He shivered and clenched his teeth closed to stop them from clicking together.

He moved his legs to try and rise, but they found no energy to obey his wishes. He couldn't move his hands at all, though he felt them limp and useless, one bent before him and the other down by his side. The sound of his wings scraping against a wall alerted him to the fact that he could not feel them.

Numb. He couldn't feel a thing. Sure he felt the cold with perfect clarity but other sensations seemed to dim in comparison, touch was devoid, sensory perception seemed picky and would only work in certain limbs. He moved, testing his body's obedience, and found it disorientated and sluggish.

Where was the pain he knew he should be feeling… had he been drugged?

"The prince finally wakes…"

He forced himself to look up, past the now sodden dark hair of his that hung in his face and spotted the white shoes and expensive clothes of the very one he had intended to defeat today. He'd failed of course. Failed spectacularly. Ten years. Ten years worth of planning, eight different backup plans in total.

Now he was down to three.

He glared at the space before him; his vision was far too blurry to allow proper sight. His enemy had taken even that from him. He sent a heated look up at the white demon as well as he could and forced his reluctant throat to voice his words. "Kill me already."

Patronizing laughter filled the empty room. Where were they? It was cold and wet and empty. He couldn't feel anything. Defeat weighed him down, sluggish unwilling emotions surged forth. He drowned in the old familiar hate for being contained and restrained, the want for destruction, and the shame.

"Kill you? No, not yet, I have some questions for you. Are you comfortable?" The words had a smirk in them and echoed cruelly in his mind. He was mocking him.

He cursed and slumped, his head hitting a hard surface--stone? Rock? Bark?—and still he felt no pain.

"Fuck you."

He called for the blessed dark and it came up like a surge from beneath him and took him with a force that was absolute and complete. The transition blended and morphed, blissfully he lost sense of time once again.

-

Youko left him in the cell he'd made specifically for him--how special he must feel, Youko rarely kept prisoners—but he brought in a futon to lay the broken body on and after a moment of deliberation he popped the unconscious demons shoulders back into their joints. If he woke up screaming he'd probably have to do it again, he wasn't sure if he'd snagged a nerve or not, but he took the demon's continued sleep as a positive sign.

He couldn't do anything for his wing, in fact he was a little hesitant to do anything more. After all this demon had breached his territory and probably either wanted to kill Youko or take what goods he'd accumulated over the years. Most of it was useless but he preferred to keep it, he tended to hoard things that were expensive but he didn't particularly like. They were good for bribes or distractions if he ever needed them.

Youko saw no reason to be so kind to him after the insult of his appearance.

Treating his captive nicely would probably fuck with his head, if he left him alone for a week perhaps if he even forced the old method of periodical cruelty and then occasional acts of kindness on him, he'd turn a little more compliant when he broke or became strained enough to talk. It depended on how mentally strong he was, and that was something he was interested in testing. Youko could always build his mind up again or influence him in the time he was completely shattered and broken, that way he'd have an agent who would be of great assistance.

Perhaps it was time to expand the business a little.

Youko sighed and poked his hand out of the hole of the entrance to his den, water slicked his hand, the warm drops and bursts of cool and hot wind circled and played with his hair and clothes. It would cool down soon, but until then, Youko would need a bath, he felt dirty and irritable.

He resolved to keep this one for a while and see how things turned out when he woke.

Youko pulled his hand back in from the rain and turned, disappearing into the darkness of the entrance to his underground den, hidden among the more delicate additions of his forest


	2. Chapter 2

--

**Inception**

_"We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us."_  
-Francois Rabelais

--

His captive had been shuffling about in his room for the better part of an hour, Youko had ignored him, but didn't block the sounds or muffle them. He moved closer in fact, and sat opposite to the room he'd delectated him. Sounds were good, it meant he knew the dark demon was still there. But when he began to scream and cackle and laugh, Youko's gaze rose from the book he lay in his lap (_Bestiary of the Modern Demon_ whatever that meant, the author was completely insane of course, and reading the writings of a mad man forced himself to think in backwards ways, it was good for lateral thinking) and he glared at the shoji screen before him.

The demon screamed over and over. It had been gibberish for a ling time, mutterings and promises punctuated by pained screams as his arms (that he'd managed to dislocate once again by pulling at his chains with the stubborn nature of a trapped animal) shifted inside his skin and had them dangle oddly.

"Youko! YOUKO KURAMA!" He broke down into laughter, and there was more shuffling and the sound of irons and chains Youko had resorted to the day before yesterday. He could see them through the shoji screen, and he could see the demon's wings flare as far as they could, one further than the other. He could see his head fly back each time he laughed, and the dishevelled hair that followed his actions.

"Can I have your autograph?!"

His eyebrow twitched and he pushed his book off his lap. It fell to the side of his thigh and snapped closed. Youko leaned back against the wall old sleek polished wood that separated them, and he placed his hand on the tatami mat beside him. He called on his favourite creepers.

The demons silhouette crouched down and then arched as he pulled at the chains, his wings flapped once, twice, and the down draft rattled the screen. His efforts were wasted however, and so was his energy. He crouched again, in a manner that Youko guessed he was looking directly at him though the light from behind him surely couldn't have allowed him to see Youko.

Howling laughter that followed after was suddenly cut off as Youko narrowed his eyes further. Dark shadows of a long thin nature rose from beneath the tatami mat, puncturing it, and pulled his guest to the floor, where they held and wrapped, tighter and tighter around all limbs, and his throat most importantly. There was a gagging sound and violent gagging then wheezing. The demons feet kicked and his wings shifted frantically, but they were subdued by more winding vines that looked like a mass of writhing worms through the screen.

As the demon bucked and twisted, his dry gasps for air, useless struggles, the rattle of chains filled his ears, Youko turned back to his book laying by his side. He picked it up, searched for his page again. Ah, there it was.

After two days alone in his pseudo cell, alone and mostly healed, through probably hungry and thirsty, Youko knew his captive couldn't have broken yet. This was the demon's way of amusing himself, and he had a strange sense of humour that left a horrid taste in Youko's mouth.

Most of the vines slid away when the demon slumped and fell limp, he held on a little longer, waiting until he was sure the dark demon had passed out. Youko hummed to himself, and the corner of his lips pulled up as he flipped the yellowing page with the tip of one of his nails.

How fun.

-

Kuronue had moved himself to lean against the wall by the time Youko returned, still hiding his face behind the screen, still creeping around silently.

The plant he'd placed in the room with him, created with the thin paper shoji screens, cast a blinding light. Kuronue found it difficult to sleep, and the light on his sensitive eyes was dangerous, he'd likely go blind far quicker than any other demon would if he looked in its direction too long. He was also aware on the shadow his form cast, if he wanted to deceive Youko well enough in his mind games, then he'd need to use that shadow well.

So he kept his eyes closed and his teeth grit with the constant pain and odd sensations his arms sent him and he turned his head in the direction of Youko. The screen annoyingly enough wouldn't let Kuronue locate him exactly, as it muffled words and made echoing harder. But no matter, that was what it was for.

A voice came quietly from the other side of the screen, and Kuronue tilted his head as his eyes darted to an exact point on the screen. Low to the ground Kuronue pondered, he was sitting on the other side of the screen, probably with his back to Kuronue.

"What is your name?"

Kuronue smirked and then chuckled, letting his head drop to his chest. "How about you guess and I'll tell you if you're right or not."

There was silence. Kuronue ran his tongue along his top row off teeth and his stomach reminded him of how empty it was once again. He scowled and shook his head, turning his head back in Youko's direction again, feeling his hair brush against his cheeks as he did so. Not having the use of his arms was a real hassle.

They must have stared at each other for a solid ten minutes before Youko's voice rose from the silence once again, steely and blank. "What is your name?"

"…Kuronue." It wasn't a smart move, but hey, what else was there? It was either suck up or entertain the fox until he was in a better position to do something more constructive about his position. He may have to swallow his pride on this one, he'd be damned if he wasn't getting what he'd came for _and_ get away from the youko.

He caught the amused sound Youko made and the sudden shifts on the other side of the screen. In vain he tried to locate just what exactly the demon fox was doing, but he drew blanks. "I have heard of you. You look older than you are."

Kuronue snorted, eyeing the filth on his body and grinning. Despite being in a sticky situation, a rather horrid one considering his captor, he was in a rather good mood. Perhaps he could get the youko to relocate his arms once again. "It's all the day spas I attend."

There was no reaction from Youko on that quip, and Kuronue rolled his eyes. Most likely Youko's humour was the kind that brought laughter only when things exploded with fountain of blood. Most likely heads.

He chuckled at the mental image.

"You got past all of my defensive plants, Kuronue--"

"All but one _really_ annoying one."

"—and I want to know how. I have no problem with killing you, nor torturing you for the information…but I have some other plans for you. You can be useful to me, if you're worth keeping, but if it was a stroke of luck you got past my defences, and your bravado is really just thin sanity; I have no use for you. I'll kill you where you sit."

Kuronue bit the inside of his cheek as he rolled the small speech over in his mind. Had he full control of his hands, he'd be running a finger along his jaw as he tilted his head in the direction of the corner of his room. "You're awfully vague, foxy."

"I will not repeat myself."

"Of course you won't. You're Youko-fucking-Kurama…" he trailed off, then blinked. The sudden thought that shot through his mind was too much of a curiosity to not ask. "Do you really have a harem or is that rumour too?"

Kuronue was rather surprised his captor laughed. Deep and quiet. It was more of a chuckle really, but it held a liquid cruelty to it. It would have sent shivers through a lesser demon.

There came the indeterminate shifting again, and Kuronue listened carefully, turning his head to the other side to determine just how far it took for the youko's footsteps to breed into echoes and dim nothingness. It took far longer than he'd thought. It was always as if there was a giant hall just outside of the small two roomed cell Youko kept him in.

Just how big was this place?

-

Youko returned with food this time. Not all demons ate the same things, so he brought a variety. It'd be a shame to poison Kuronue so quickly, and so needlessly after all the trouble he'd gone through to visit him whenever he had the time or the patience to do so.

Demons could survive without food for quiet a while, years if not centuries (one of the kings was proof of that) however he doubted such a young thing like Kuronue could last longer than two perhaps three months without food. Kuronue, the whispers said, was only just past a century old. To Youko he was only a child but the body he held, muscled and sleek, spoke of an age much older and certainly more mature.

He wondered idly, as he closed the sliding door to the room that led to his side of the shoji screen, if Kuronue had taken a mate before or not…if he'd been the submissive and wanton mate, even as he was powerful and certainly more dangerous than most. He detangled the dayglow plant from the ceiling in Kuronue's section, and the light dimmed and curled in itself.

When he slid the door open with a single finger, Kuronue was looking up at him, once again managing to already have his eyes at perfect height. Such wonderful perception, higher than he'd seen in any other demon, other than a select few, perhaps this was the key to his success in getting past his rather ravenous plants on the outskirts of his territory.

His captive said nothing as he knelt by him and set the bowl he'd carried in with him on the floor, ignoring Kuronue's oddly hanging arms in favour of taking his jaw in one hand, and placing his thumb on his chin to open mouth. From the bowl he pulled small slivers of food. Meat and fruit.

Youko watched with amusement as Kuronue took what he was given, still oddly silent. His eyes had cracked open, and past the long dark eyelashes, Youko was awarded his first glimpse of the dark demon's eyes. They were that strange kind of blue that reflected and absorbed all kinds of colours, their dark depth would most likely turn a stark shinning electric blue in direct light, but would otherwise be a smoky dark blue.

Youko's eyes were somewhat the same; however the gold tended to absorb different shades of colour, and still appeared hollow and cold regardless. Some demon's eyes would change colour depending on how angry or exited they were, but these kinds were few and far between.

"What did you give me?" Kuronue asked, licking juice from his lips with an odd slowness. That same tongue flicked over Youko's fingers when he offered the slivers of mostly raw meet. He licked the blood from his palm with childish innocence. He was most likely completely oblivious to just how attractive Youko thought that was, if his reputation rang as true as he thought it did.

Had Kuronue ever really bothered to indulge in the delights of flesh? Or did he consider himself unconcerned with such petty things, as some demons did. Blood of the kill, and the high that comes from torment and exerting power over others was often more interesting than a wanton creature to fuck or toy with as pleased.

Youko believed in a healthy balance.

"Something that will make you talk a little easier," he replied, because if Kuronue hadn't fought being drugged he found no reason to deny him knowledge of what it was. Youko did have his own sort of twisted code, which was above all; eye for an eye. This was applied to revenge as much as was kindness.

"I talk perfectly fine." Kuronue shot a glare at him, and Youko watched the apple disappear behind his lips, caught the flash of a sharp tooth as it pierced and sliced the fruit in half. Youko turned back to the fruit, and shook his head in reply as well as an attempt to shake the sudden interest from his libido.

"Never about what I want you to."

"Your defences are fine, foxy, you just lack imagination."

Furious, Youko's backhand sent Kuronue to the tatami, sliding along the wall awkwardly, unable to us his hands to stop himself.

He let him lick the blood from his lips as he collected himself, and pulled Kuronue by his vest to sit upright once again, scraping his wings along the wall. Kuronue gazed at him with half lidded, satisfied eyes, and his split lip trailed blood down his chin slowly. What an insufferable demon.

Youko fisted a hand in his hair and pulled him closer to him, snarling. "How did you get so far?"

"Wings, planning…oh, and one of your old lovers told me a few choice pieces of information." Even as Kuronue's eyes rolled back in his head, suddenly hit by the full effect of the drug Youko had given him, Youko found him an insufferable yet attractive creature. His mouth sent equal amounts of innocent seduction as it did annoyance, it crawled under Youko's skin and tested his ability to restrain himself.

Youko licked the blood from Kuronue's chin and nipped at the source of the blood. He was horridly tempted to slip his tongue into Kuronue's mouth, and taste him there too, only he found it cheating. Kuronue wouldn't be in his right mind…not that he seemed to be in the first place. He pulled back, and prodded him again with his words.

"How did you get so far, Kuronue?"

He panted as he talked, his words coming as slurs and gasps. The substance he had chosen was a wonderful drug, one that when combined with just a little more powder from a certain herb, turned into a powerful and equally dangerous aphrodisiac. It was Youko's favourite drug to use on others, but he didn't care for the maddening sensations himself. "The root systems…predictable. Just had to follow the one that carried the most energy. Usually one, big, bad defences means twice the power but only one plant. Miscalculated. Got the wrong information. My head hurts."

"How did you follow the root systems? Youki?" Youko frowned. He'd hidden the root systems that coursed with his power well to prevent such travesties and he'd hidden them damn well.

Kuronue gave a sound that would have been a chuckle if he wasn't sagging in Youko's arms. Youko's hand still hadn't left his hair, and it was with the sole grip his had on Kuronue mane of hair that he kept him up. The dark demons wings twitched and jerked violently as he tried to control himself. His legs shifted, pushing himself up, but his muscles seemed reluctant to obey.

"No. Stole a meter…tree smashed it though. Hurt like hell. Nice old tree though, good for watching."

Even when drugged he still continued to spew irrelevant information that made Youko fight back the urge to roll his eyes. He settled for looking at the ceiling, asking for strength to no particular being as Kuronue stuttered a chuckle and forcefully kept himself back from full sentences in an effort to limit the information given.

"Where is it?"

"I ate it. Potion. S'gone."

"Where did you get it from?"

"Human witch. Killed her after. No one gets in after me." He gave a faint growl that amused Youko endlessly.

"In the demon world?"

"Hm. She was bought over as a slave some time ago. She made herself useful to a demon lord and climbed up the ladder." His breathing hitched and his eyes rolled back in his head. He jaw snapped shut tightly. Youko could see the effort in his expression. Hm, perhaps he only needed to wait a little longer for the right information.

"Anything else you want to tell me about how you got so far?"

"Get better protection, heh."

Youko back handed him once more, and it send Kuronue sprawling even further this time. Only he didn't stir this time; he lay immobile, breathing heavily and twitching slightly. Youko stood, his tail swishing angrily, and he took one of Kuronue's arms in his hands pulling it up and around. He relocated both arms, then dislocated his right again when Kuronue choked on a scream and thrashed in pain. Youko watched him for a moment, then relocated his arm properly, releasing the nerve.

After checking his shackles, Youko left picked up the small empty bowl he'd brought in with him and slid the door closed with a rather loud snap behind him. He flicked his tail irritably and flattened his ears back as he left, glaring at the walls.

Kuronue refused to give him the standard adoration other gave him at first glance, or the fearful wide-eyed stutter he usually received when demons actually knew who he was via reputation. It was exasperating and it confused Youko as much as it irritated him. Youko Kurama was beautiful, this was a fact, so why the hell was Kuronue so resistant to any of his whiles? Even drugged he refused to do as Youko wanted; remain placid and answer his questions in detail and well keep his speech clean and lucid. He'd done the exact opposite; he even insulted Youko! More than once!

It aroused him.


End file.
